[kingman762]

@wabisabi 147073 wrote:

Thanks for the input, everyone! Gonna give it a whirl next week. Elbows, I’m with you..the stress of anticipating encountering someone who may chide me for using the route may actually persuade me to stick with the pike. But I’m gonna give it the ol college try. Fall weather beckons that I do this.

So, how did it go? I moved to Nauck last spring and have been doing the Glebe to Army Navy route to get to pentagon city since then. But I really dislike glebe and would love another option.

[kingman762]

Thanks all!

[kingman762]

Any updates or announcements?

[kingman762]

@LhasaCM 141588 wrote:

If it’s a hard case, another option (a bit DIY) is to get mounting hardware from Ortlieb or some other pannier company and mount it to the portfolio. Then it could easily attach to a rear rack. You could set up the mounting brackets however it makes sense based on the riding position/size/etc.

This is a really good idea.

[kingman762]

What about one of those surfboard carriers that attaches to a bike rack. You could buy one or fabricate something along those lines from PVC pipe.

[kingman762]

@04forlife 117360 wrote:

I am still figuring out my best path but I avoid Col Pike entirely… I have used Key bridge so far and to get there, I have gone along the Rt 50 trail to Lynn St, and also winded my way up through the neighborhoods to Veitch and Custis (and get to avoid rosslyn traffic all together ).. From Key, I wind through georgetown/glover park until I get to tenleytown, also avoiding Wisconsin Ave.

The best way to avoid the Pike, if you really don’t want to ride on the Pike, is to go through Ft. Meyer, through 2nd st. However, if you are not a DoD or Federal worker this has recently become more cumbersome .

That said, as a daily rider on the Pike, its really not that bad… It is congested but it can be managed.

[kingman762]

@jopamora 108788 wrote:

The circled part of the path is unplowed, but walkable. The rest is pretty clear.

Agreed. Memorial bridge to the pentagon reservation is a mess. You can ride it without studs (it’s hard packed snow) if you keep up your momentum and go straight. Otherwise it’s hike a bike for 100 yards or so. Once again the pentagon has done a great job and it’s clear from there on.

Also the pavement in front of the Lincoln memorial is mostly snow/ice except for a couple shoveled ways. The paths along the reflecting pool are also hard packed snow and ice up to the ww II Memorial, partly sanded. Rideable without studs if you keep your momentum and go straight (the pedestrians make it a challenge though).

[kingman762]

@vvill 107628 wrote:

Haha, true. I’m sure many around here have proper SPD-style cycling winter boots for the really cold temps, but yeah I don’t.

I don’t have full boots, but I’ve been using the Gore Windstopper socks for a couple seasons now. They work very well. I wear them over a pair of wool socks. The fit isn’t great, they can be a bit baggy in the heel, but they keep my toes from being frost bitten on even the coldest mornings. And at $40-50, they are a lot less expensive than dedcaited boots.

[kingman762]

When I lock up my chariot I run a cable through the trailer frame, with one eyelet looped through the other so I keep most of the cables length, and then lock it up with the rest of my bike using main lock (which for me is a bordo folding lock, but I’ve done it with a ulock as well). If you don’t have quite enough length to run the cable to your ulock you can also carry an extra padlock and lock the trailer to your seatstays, locking your bike up as normal.

[kingman762]

I’ll echo the benifits of a platform/SPD combo pedal, like the Shimano’s shown earlier. While clipping in on a single sided pedal is not as quick with this pedal as it is with a true dual sided SPD that trade off it worth the benifits. It’s nice to be able to use the clipless pedal on my commute and then to hop on the bike in dress shoes for a ride across the city to a meeting or for a lunch engadgement.

Also, in terms of shoes, there are quite a few that don’t scream “I’m a cycling shoe!”, like the pearl Izumi Alp X, that also perform quite well.

[kingman762]

@kingman762 104240 wrote:

The MVT from memorial bridge onto the trail along 27 is an icy mess. The trail along 27 up to the Pentagon reservation is also a mess…

Still a mess… Cow paths appearing, navigable if you ride slowly in a straight line and pay attention to your balance.

[kingman762]

Update on my earlier post. Some melt water and blowing snow created some icy patches near the WWII memorial end of the reflecting pool and the Lincoln memorial pavement is now clear.

Also, the MVT from memorial bridge onto the trail along 27 is an icy mess. The trail along 27 up to the Pentagon reservation is also a mess, I chose to walk portions of it. The Pentagon has done a superb job of clearing the portion of the trail along the reservation (as it always does).

[kingman762]

The descent through Arlington National Cemetary is clear and ice free, as is Ft. Myer, provided you stay on the main road rather than riding parallel through the parking lot (which is in pretty bad shape). Similarly, most of the trail from ANC across the Memorial Bridge is fine up to the Lincon memorial. However, crossing the pavement in front of the memorial is tricky, its very patchy with ice. The pathway along the tidal basin and around the Monument is clear though.

[kingman762]

@AFHokie 100536 wrote:

While we’re on the subject; does anyone have any experience with these garment bags?
Two Wheel Gear – Classic Bike Suit Bag
Henty Wingman Suit Bag

I’m leaning toward the Two Wheel Gear bag. On the plus side, I could move everything from my seat bag into it plus my lunch, but it’s possibly too big. The Wingman Suit Bag, I don’t want a backpack or sling bag, but figure I can bungee it onto the rack instead, but wondering how crumpled a suit would look.

There’s another recent thread on panniers that talks a lot about panniers and clothing transport, it might help.

Personally I leave my shoes, belts, and suit jackets (7 of them) at the office and just bring in pants and a shirt. I use an eagle creek folder, which really helps limit wrinkles in an ortlieb pannier, which keeps things dry. You can put a whole suit in the folder too, it works pretty well.

[kingman762]

It seems to me that freezing saddles should start when we get the first frozen commute (which looks to be tomorrow). By January we’ll have been freezing in the saddles for a month and a half…

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